


Before The Storm

by Quackyeon



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Multiple Pov, Oracles, but who doesn't love a good mess?, inspired a lot by tales of Zestiria, powers au, these boys are a bit of mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-11 10:09:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quackyeon/pseuds/Quackyeon
Summary: The end of the world is coming, but it's hard to focus on that when you need to get your heart straight.





	1. Inseong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iseemikimouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iseemikimouse/gifts).
  * Inspired by [World Guardians](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12748542) by [iseemikimouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iseemikimouse/pseuds/iseemikimouse). 

> Okay, so to the fantastic, Iseemikimouse, I genuinely loved your entire masterlist but when I saw this, I actually just could not hold back and I let this idea completely run away from me. Sorry about that. Also thanks to the original fic (which is fantastic by the way and y'all should read it) I ended up binge watching a 60 hour lets play of Tales of Zestiria (which I also recommend).
> 
> Thank you to Blossom my ever faithful reader and idea beta who sat through a lot of my crying about ships - and when I doubted myself told me to keep going. Your words and advice really help me with almost every fic I write and I am exceptionally lucky to call you my best friend. 
> 
> Thank you to my group from discord (y'all know who you are if you read this) especially T, who listened to my ideas and my crying about this fic - and T even read this despite not knowing anything about SF9 (while I gave her 'visual aids' which possibly slowed down the reading process). Thank you everyone, it takes a village to raise a child and this is my baby. 
> 
> Thanks to the mods of this fest who allowed me to cry and have my fic related breakdowns which eventually led to this work being published as well as running this and allowing me to have the opportunity to conceive this idea. 
> 
> Finally, thanks to all those reading this, whether or not you're familiar with SF9 (and if you aren't you should definitely check them out. They're so talented.) I appreciate all of you, please don't be a silent reader, I'd love to know what you think.

Seokwoo's visions weren't infallible. Inseong knew that. He really did, but this one felt different. He knew that the way he felt about Seokwoo was probably all kinds of frowned upon. Seokwoo was from here, and Inseong was not. Inseong was from Caeli, a land of wind, although he didn't know first hand what it was like, although he had heard stories and he swore that in his dreams he could see it and feel the wind on his skin. He felt most at home on windy days and found comfort in the wind wrapping around him. He had become part of this group when he was young, grown up on Earth and now was in love with an oracle. He hated it, he hated the way that he was supposed to feel, because he just did not feel that way. Seokwoo was forbidden fruit, and Inseong knew he'd taste the sweetest. It wasn't unheard of that feelings sprung up between members of groups. Youngbin was their leader but Inseong knew that he hadn't been an island. Inseong had been sleeping next to Seokwoo when he'd been woken by the oracle having his vision, Seokwoo shuddered as the vision took over him, his skin was clammy to the touch and his eyes had rolled to the back of his head. Inseong had moved to take his hand and hold it, as if he could take away some of the others pain. Inseong took a slow breath, moving to look at him. "Seokwoo, I'm here." Inseong breathed out, he didn't know how to do anything, he felt so pointless. He wished he could help more. "Seokwoo, please." He said quietly. "I'll do anything, just tell me how to help." Seokwoo was coming out of his vision but it would be a while before he would wake up and tell them what happened. 

"Inseong." Inseong looked over at the voice in the doorway. "Youngbin won't be impressed if he finds you in here." 

"He's suffering." Inseong said quietly, cupping the others cheek gently. "You know what his visions do to him. I can't just ignore his suffering. Can I, Youngkyun? Does Youngbin know how you pine after Taeyang?" It was a low blow but Inseong couldn't help himself, he just wanted to hit him where it hurt. 

"It's different Inseong, and you know it." Youngkyun lent against the door frame. "He's not one of us, not the way that counts." 

"You're an asshole." Inseong said getting up off the bed. "And he can hear you." He left the room and walked towards the kitchen, getting a glass of water for Seokwoo. "Stop watching me." 

"Do you love him?" 

"Please Youngkyun." Inseong said staring at the glass. 

"Does he love you too?" 

"Would it change anything?" 

"Not really." Youngkyun said with a shrug, "he's still a human." 

"Then don't ask these pointless questions." Inseong said staring at the younger male instead of the glass. He had known from the start of his feelings for Seokwoo that the others wouldn't approve. "The important questions answer is no. I havent slept with him." Inseong tried his best not to show it when he went in and handed Seokwoo the glass. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly, sitting on the bed. 

Seokwoo nodded. "What did Kyun want?" 

"Just to remind me that everyone will disapprove of how we feel." Inseong sighed. "Even though we never act on it." 

"Inseong." Seokwoo said softly, running a hand over the others shoulder. "You're the one who decided i cant even kiss you." 

"You're the oracle." He said quietly. "Want to tell me about the vision?" He wanted to talk about anything but this, anything but the fact that he wished right now he was kissing the tall man, but it was his fault. It was his fault that they weren't kissing. 

"Once i tell you everything changes Inseong." Seokwoo gently cupped the mans face. "Let me have a few minutes just with you like this." Inseong nodded, he knew the no kissing thing frustrated Seokwoo, it frustrated him too, but if they kissed it would just lead to other things. Not that it did a good job of quelling his feelings. Seokwoo took a small sip of the water. "You sure you don't want to talk about what Youngkyun said. I heard you bring up Tae." Inseong felt bad about it, he knew that Youngkyun was hurting about his situation with Taeyang, he knew that it must be hard to love someone who didn't love him back. He couldn't imagine how much it would hurt if Seokwoo had not reciprocated his feelings, but he just wanted to get Youngkyun to leave him alone about it. 

Inseong looked down, "I just, it makes me mad. Like if they wanted to none of us would stop them from being together. But I fell for you. Impossibly tall. Impossibly handsome and human at heart. I never wanted this, to fall for someone I shouldn't have. I was trying to be so good, you know. I am technically Youngbin's deputy but, well, you." Inseong whined looking at Seokwoo. "No don't look like that. You make it so hard." 

"You should kiss me Inseong." Seokwoo said quietly "I saw the end of the world." Inseong was stopped in all of his thoughts. He looked at the oracle and then shook his head, before he could talk Seokwoo started. "Seong, I think we're going to have to call the guardians. I don't think there is any getting out of this without them." Inseong shook his head, they'd never called the guardians before - and as far as he knew no one who was currently alive had ever successfully called on any of the guardians. 

"All of them?" 

"It's the end of the world Inseong." Seokwoo said softly. "It's all of them or we all die." 

"But your visions, they aren't always completely true." Inseong said, cupping the others face gently. "You know that, remember when you saw that Taeyang would fall off that ledge and break his wrist and he didn't." 

"Because you stopped him Seong, you guys stopped the vision being true." if Seokwoo was irritated then he didn't show it in his voice. "I know I've been wrong, I know some of them aren't correct, I know I miss things, I know there are holes in my visions. But this is different. It felt so real. I felt like I was there and it burned, Inseong." Inseong shifted slightly, up onto his knees so he could wrap his arms around Seokwoo and hold him close. "I saw everything this time. It wasn't just a blur." He was quiet, Inseong gently running his hand up and down the taller man's back. "I lost everything, I lost you." 

"I'm here." Inseong said quietly. "I'm here, I am never leaving you." 

"Please kiss me Seong. I don't want the world to end and not know how it feels." Inseong hesitated.

"I banned it for a reason Seokwoo. I love you and I know I want to do more than a kiss. I know you do too. If we kiss we open up to that chance." Inseong pressed a kiss to Seokwoo's cheek. "But I want to. I really want to." He breathed slowly, holding the man a little longer before getting up. "I'm gonna make food for everyone, you stay here and rest. We have a busy day if you really saw the end of the world."

"I love you. No matter what they think of us." 

"You make it so hard not to kiss you." Inseong pouted but the oracle just laughed and lay back down. Inseong was right, it was going to be a long day. Knowing the man was laid down again Inseong could go out and cook. The baby of the group, Chanhee was in college with Taeyang so Inseong liked to feed them before they left. Inseong sighed when he noticed Jaeyoon coming out of Youngbin's room. Chanhee was sat at the breakfast bar and noticed the other watching. "Hyung. It's just sex. Well thats what I heard Jaeyoon telling Sanghyuk. They just help each other-" 

"I don't want to know." Inseong said quietly. 

"Are you okay?" Taeyang asked taking some toast as he took his seat. 

"Ive just had enough of everyone being able to do what they want with anyone they want but me and Seokwoo." Inseong was frustrated. He was holding back from the man he loved, the man who loved him while everyone else got to do what they wanted. Seokwoo had come out, dressed and looking slightly less wiped out than before. He came round to the kitchen side. Starting to help Inseong. Inseong looked at him and smiled, "feeling okay?" He asked softly.

"I'm fine Seong." Seokwoo said looking at him. "I'm sorry," Seokwoo said, despite having nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't as if he'd done this to them on purpose. Taeyang looked at them both and then sighed, Inseong turned to see him, trying not to say anything to defend their feelings

"Hyung, you need to talk to Youngbin about this." Taeyang said quietly. "We're family. Loving each other shouldn't be the thing that our family stops from happening. A lot of us have gone into the human world and what if we met someone and fell in love and what would happen? We're all here forever, aren't we?" 

"You know we might go back home." 

"Inseong, I know I'm never going to see Aqua." Taeyang said with a sad smile, "just like you're not going back to Caeli." Teyang looked at Seokwoo, "Earth is our home, and why should we not find homes in the humans. If he's your home, then he's your home" Taeyang looked at them both, "I think the rules are too tight." 

Chanhee nodded, "It is unfair, and there aren't exactly girls around here." He whined a little, "What are we supposed to do?" 

Inseong raised a brow. "But I thought-" his mind trying to find a way to express the idea that he had been under the impression that Chanhee and Taeyang had hooked up at least once. 

"Okay, but no." Chanhee said shaking his head quickly. "We're friends. I like girls. Tae likes girls and boys. You like humans and Youngbin is lonely." He said with a shrug, answering in the way that only their youngest could get away with. "Oh and our oracle likes wind powers the most clearly." 

"Please Chanhee, I spoil you so much." Seokwoo said with a grin, although it was true. Everyone spoiled Chanhee, they had grown up trying to raise him, keep him on the right path and making sure he didn't run off and do something evil. If there was ever a dictionary definition of chaotic evil, it would just be a picture of the youngest member of the group. 

"But I'm sure you spoil Inseong completely differently." Chanhee teased and Inseong flushed a deeper red than he was already turning. This was possibly even worse than the conversation he'd had with Youngkyun that had been short and sweet, well short and bitter but Inseong was sure that that was not the point of the phrase. He wondered if this could be their normal one day. The others teasing them about their feelings rather than shunning it and reminding them of how they weren't supposed to feel that way for each other. It wasn't like this was a choice - because honestly who would choose this? Inseong wasn't even sure if he would, even knowing what he knew now and loving Seokwoo the way he did. He wanted the tall man to be happy and he wasn't sure that he could ever give it to him. 

The younger two were the most open, maybe because they were the youngest, maybe because they had the least amount of pressure on them to do the right thing, to act the right way, to do the things that were expected of them. Sexuality was fluid, and often in the places they were from the labels that applied in the human world did not apply so much. Chanhee was the only one - as far as Inseong knew - that had a strong preference for gender when it came to falling for someone. He knew that most of the others had been interested in people rather than gender. However, the oracle, a human was off limits and that was thing that Inseong found the hardest to understand. Maybe humans, who were not generally tolerant to the way that they lived, the way that they loved, the acceptance of the fluidity of sexuality was yet to be widespread in the human world, so Inseong imagined the human world would shun them the way his people did. 

The disapproval was hard, it was hard for them to still care for each other, but they did. Inseong just wanted to keep the other safe and he wasn't sure he could ever see someone else being with Seokwoo. He just didn't think that he could be with anyone who wasn't Seokwoo, not that he'd even really gotten with the oracle, but still it was the thought and intention that counted. Inseong just sighed looking at them all, it was easier to forget what happened earlier with Seokwoo's vision and that maybe like this, they could be okay. 

"You know we don't do that." Inseong said quietly, moving to rest against the others chest. Not caring about being so open with his affection with the two in front of them. "We don't even kiss." Inseong said softly, "I know that's technically not banned but, it leads to more." He breathed out, it was weird to talk to the others about this with Seokwoo present but this was as close as they got to not having to hide parts of who they were. 

Taeyang nodded sadly. "Hyung, you two should share your love together. If your hearts beat together, then they beat together. There is nothing any of us can or should do about it. I know you two have been fighting these feelings for a while and if you can't get them to go then maybe they are right." 

Seokwoo's arm tightened around Inseong and smiled, "I keep telling him that, but he keeps ignoring me." Inseong laughed a little, able to relax when he was with the other and the youngest two. He didn't feel so pressured to hide from everyone, he felt happy to be open with the idea of them being together. He just wished that every day could be like this, but it ended soon with the pair leaving to go to university. 

It was clear from the second that Seokwoo had his vision that it was the kind of thing that had to be discussed with Youngbin. Youngbin was their leader - and he would know what to do with this vision. Both Inseong and Seokwoo were there, Inseong already knew they were going to be in trouble when they explained. "I had another vision." Seokwoo said quietly, "It was so clear. I was only able to come out of it because Inseong was there." 

"Inseong was there?" 

"Yes." Seokwoo said with a small smile at the boy from Caeli, "We were asleep at the time it came to me. You know how my visions can get sometimes." Seokwoo could have visions while he was awake, but it was far less common, not because there was anything specific to visions that required sleep, but rather because of the clarity of Seokwoo's mind at the time. It was harder for a vision to take over when you were occupied thinking about school, or work or about what to cook for dinner. Inseong could feel the other looking at them, as if he was trying to work out what to say. Youngbin was a good leader, not the leader because he was the oldest - because that mantle belonged to Inseong himself. He knew that it was things like his feelings for Seokwoo that made him unsuitable to be the leader of the team, and that was okay. He did not particularly fancy the pressures that came with being the leader, including the conversation they were about to have, he knew the other was going to make a comment about them having both been in the bed together. 

Youngbin sighed looking at the pair. "So you two are disobeying my orders?" Inseong was already looking down, he did not really have a response to this, they had been sharing a bed, which was not explicitly against the rules, but it was against the rules for them to be getting closer, to be getting intimate, which he knew Youngbin was assuming was the reason they had been sharing a bed together. Inseong wished the other understood them, or tried to understand them, or even asked him about it. No one ever asked him about the way they felt, no one asked him about what they were doing about it. 

"You're technically not the boss of us." Seokwoo said, while Inseong just had his head bowed. "And Inseong was helping me in my vision. It helps to have an anchor." Seokwoo took a small breath, Inseong just wished this conversation would end. "Plus if you get to sleep with Jaeyoon, why is this different? Because I actually love him?" 

"You're human." Youngbin was quick to answer back, as if he was prepared for this. 

"And? You're on my planet." 

"Seokwoo" Inseong said quietly, "it's okay, we knew it was like this. I knew it was like this. It's okay," Inseong turned to look at Youngbin and then bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry to go against your direction." 

"I'm not sorry." Seokwoo interjected. "I'm never going to be sorry for how we feel." 

Youngbin just eyed them both, but didn't say anything. Inseong just wanted this conversation to be over, there were more important issues at hand. "Anyway, Seokwoo, his vision was bad." Inseong looked at the oracle. 

"Ah yes, that. Can you trust a human to tell you a vision? Or is it just love we're not capable of?" 

"Seokwoo." Youngbin said flatly. "I am aware you and Inseong are put out about the boundaries in place on you but it's not good to mix, its unpredictable when it comes to children." 

Seokwoo raised his arms up, "oh yes, because me and Inseong were just about to make a football teams worth of kids." 

"What example would you be for the younger ones?" 

"What example are you for the younger ones?" Seokwoo said enraged at this point, Inseong wanted to disappear. He just wanted them to go away, he wanted this to be done. "You fuck who ever asks and I'm the one who's doing something wrong because I dared to love someone." 

"Seokwoo. He's still our leader." Inseong looked at the oracle and shook his head. "Youngbin, forgive Seokwoo, the visions make him stressed and we don't mean to cause offence. I assure you that our relationship has not gotten physical in any way." 

"But you share his bed." Youngbin said raising a brow, clearly he did not believe them and it was not easy to change Youngbin's mind once it was set. It was something they had learnt as they spent more time with Youngbin, that was the main flaw Inseong thought Youngbin had as a leader, he was stubborn at times and it was as hard as moving a mountain with your bare hands to change his mind. 

"Yes. But we just sleep in it." Inseong looked at Seokwoo, who was clearly seething and looking away from them both. Inseong knew the other was hurt because he didn't back him up. Maybe he was hurt because Inseong didn't defend them. "I know you don't approve but I can't bear the idea of him going through it alone. You haven't seen him having a vision." 

"I have Inseong, we all grew up together, we all saw it. He could ask any of us for help." 

"Oh yes, you try doing that when the Gods are using you as a vessel." Seokwoo was back to staring at Youngbin. "I understand that you don't approve, but we're not doing anything wrong. I dont understand how this is even an issue." 

"Youngbin, I promise we haven't even kissed. " Inseong said quietly. "I can't stop loving him so don't ask me to. I'm sorry but I didn't mean for this to happen." 

Youngbin didn't say anything else. "Tell me about the vision Seokwoo." 

"Well the world was ending." Seokwoo said flatly, "so that fun." He was annoyed and part of Inseong thought it was a waste of time to be continuing this conversation, Seokwoo wasn't going to give them what they were looking for. He could feel the rage radiating off the human, glad that he wasn't powered with his strong emotional pulls, powers would be dangerous. When they all went through puberty and as they grew up, powers everywhere, all emotions and powers. Chanhee once set his own bed on fire, Taeyang flooded the house once, Jaeyoon had once melted all the spoons - which was funny but also annoying as it was summer and no one could eat ice cream. 

"Are we going to be more specific?" Youngbin said flatly, looking at them both, "Or are we being children?" 

"Youngbin" Inseong said although he knew he had no power in this situation. 

"Yes. I mean, basically things fall out of the sky and then it gets worse, then we all die." Seokwoo said getting up and walking out, slamming the door. 

Inseong sighed, "Really? Youngbin, you could have been nicer to him." 

"You both have known from the beginning that we would not accept this." 

"We didn't ask for this." Inseong pleaded a little, "You never took the chance to try to understand us, I never broke any rule, I never asked for any leeway growing up, I never ran away like Youngkyun, I never tried to explore more like Taeyang and Chanhee, I did as I was told, I did everything. I followed every single rule and my heart, Youngbin, my heart picked him." 

"Inseong, you know I cannot give you what you're asking me for. It is still against our rules." Youngbin sighed, "Chanhee goes to Seoul National, what if he meets a girl there? I can't keep him from breaking that rule if I let you." 

"He would break it anyway." Inseong said quietly, "At least I'm asking for permission." 

"And while I appreciate that Seong, I love you both, and I am just protecting you." 

"By making me break my own heart." 

"You shouldn't have picked him." Youngbin said flatly. "You knew, and you still let your feelings grow." 

"I didn't choose him." Inseong said softly, but confidently. "I love him, because the fates made me." 

"Inseong." Youngbin spoke softer this time. "I am doing this because I love you. Even if you hate me, I can accept that. Someone has to look after you." Inseong didn't answer, he just left. He had to find Seokwoo - he had to fix what had happened. Maybe if the other calmed down, they could go and tell Youngbin again and somehow fix everything and maybe the other would eventually understand and see that they were meant to be together, rather than just seeing their differences. He walked into the oracles room and gave him a small smile. 

"Seok." he said softly, the other didn't even look at him, he moved to sit on the bed, wanting to make it better, wanting the other to understand that he had to say that. That they had to accept conversations like that. Inseong watched Seokwoo as he paced, he wanted to say something, but he knew that nothing he said would make up for the way the oracle felt betrayed by him. "Seok-" 

"Don't Seong, you--- What even are we to you?" Seokwoo stopped moving and looked at him. "What are we doing?" 

Inseong felt everything jar and stop. "Seokwoo, I love you. You know that." 

"Do I Inseong? Do I know that?" Seokwoo was stood facing Inseong. "I mean you told Youngbin you were sorry. You're ashamed of us!" 

"Seokwoo! Are you proud of this? Proud of us? We can't be together and it kills me, why would I be proud that I can't be with the man I love?" 

"We could be if you stood up to Youngbin! Why am I the only one fighting for us?" 

"Because you aren't one of us, you don't understand." 

"Oh it comes down to that? Because I'm just a human? I'm your oracle, without me your 'family' wouldn't have any of this information." Seokwoo just turned away from him. "I'm done Inseong. I can't fight for you if you're not interested." 

"Seokwoo, you're being dramatic." 

"You just don't care." Seokwoo said quietly, suddenly calm. "You can leave." Seokwoo's height no longer felt like it was safety but rather that is was an obelisk cutting them off. Inseong just shook his head. "Don't Inseong, I'm done. You can leave. I want to be alone." 

"Seokwoo." Inseong said, soft but imploring the other to reconsider. "I don't want to leave like this-" 

"I don't really care Inseong, I want you to go." Seokwoo said flatly. "You care so much what the others think, but know that this, this is a prison of your own making." 

Inseong got up, he knew it wasn't ever going to be resolved when Seokwoo had shut him out like this. He needed the other to let him in again, to let those barriers down again. It was hard, Inseong was sorry that the other was upset, but he wasn't really that sorry that he wanted to stick to the rules. Rules were there for a reason. Rules were there and he was supposed to keep them up, he was the oldest and that meant there were responsibilities and really Seokwoo should understand that. 

Inseong went back to his own room and tried to ignore everyone for the rest of the day, it didn't hurt, that was at least what he was telling himself. Seokwoo was mad at him, but he would understand in the end, he had done this for a reason, they had to stick to the rules, they always had to stick to the rules. It wasn't exactly like they had the freedoms that others did, they would have to call the guardians if there was a need - and Seokwoo had seen a vision. He had seen the need for them to use their connection to their homelands. Inseong knew, in his heart that they had to follow the rules, they had to work together as a team. 

He walked into the kitchen the next morning and Seokwoo got up from where he was sat at the breakfast bar and walked out of the room. Inseong sighed and watched him leave, he knew that this clearly was not something that he could talk himself out of easily. Youngkyun was sat with Chanhee at the breakfast bar. "I don't think anger is one of those emotions that makes channelling visions easier." Youngkyun said before going back to pushing his cereal around in the bowl. Chanhee shot Youngkyun a look and then looked back at Inseong with a small sigh. 

"The positive is that Seokwoo doesn't have any powers, so no one has tried to set fire to the roof." 

"That was you when Youngbin said you couldn't go on holiday with your friends." Inseong said with a small laugh. 

"Well Taeyang flooded the bathroom - and I know that sounds like he did it with the taps, but he didn't. I know it was his power." Chanhee huffed a little, it was playful and Inseong couldn't help but smile, he was sure everyone thought that Taeyang had done it with his powers and not the normal way one would flood a bathroom, but there was no way to prove it. Inseong wondered how Youngbin wasn't going grey yet, with the the disasters that they all were sometimes.

It didn't get any better, as weeks went by Inseong would walk into rooms only for Seokwoo to leave, he would try to talk to the taller man, only for him to just ignore him. He wasn't even sure what they could do about it at this point, so he decided he had no choice but to corner Seokwoo in his room. Inseong was stood in the doorway and the oracle looked up. He said nothing and looked back down at his notepad, he was writing down what he saw. Youngbin needed it to tell the others in other groups what could be coming, if they did not have an oracle, or their oracle had not seen it yet. "Seokwoo, can we talk?" Inseong said quietly. 

"I have to get this done for Youngbin." Seokwoo said, still not looking up, "and I don't really think we have anything to talk about Inseong." 

"Seokwoo, I love you" 

"You don't. If you loved me, really loved me, you would love me regardless of Youngbin's rules." 

"Rules are in place for a reason." 

"And here we are again Inseong. Don't you get it? We're never going to get past this. You're always going to side with Youngbin and your precious rules and I'm always going to be the only one fighting for our love, so can you just go." 

"Seokwoo, please." 

"There is no please Inseong, come find me if you want to go against the rules, but otherwise I'm not doing this anymore." Inseong could feel tears welling up - and he was not going to cry, he wasn't. Well, at least not here. "You have no one to blame but yourself." Seokwoo said, before looking back at his notepad. 

"Well I guess that's that." Inseong said quietly, turning to leave. Inseong was sat out in the glade. He could feel the wind whipping around him. It was his power, he knew that it was him making this weather. He knew that this was Seokwoo's way of dealing with his hurt. Inseong knew he'd messed it up, but he wasn't even sure if he could fix this. Not with the way that would be good for them, not in the way that Seokwoo needed. The rules were in place. how could he go against them, how could he fight for their love when it breaks the rules. He didn't look up when someone came and sat next to him, because he knew it wasn't the person he wanted to talk to, the person he wanted to hold him right now. Seokwoo always felt safe, he always felt safe in the others arms but he couldn't go to the place he'd feel safe. "So should I tell Youngbin to secure the house?" It was Jaeyoon. 

"You can always secure him to the bed." Inseong said bitterly. 

"Seong." Jaeyoon said quietly, the wind whipping up around them. "That's not anything." 

"Exactly, you're just fucking for fun. I have someone I love and I can't be with him and you want me to be all happy you're just fucking someone." 

"Seong, please. You're going to start a tornado." 

"And? I hope it blows everything away." 

"Inseong." 

"Well you all won, because now he won't even look at me." 

"Inseong, please." 

"I want to go back to Caeli." Inseong said barely above a whisper. "I hate being here. I want to be anywhere but here." 

"You really love him that much?" 

"No Jae, I've been fucking joking all this time." Inseong said, wind whipping around them faster. "Of course I fucking love him. He is my home." He breathed out the line that Taeyang had mentioned to him. 

Jaeyoon sighed, "I know... it's not ideal, I know it hurts but-" 

"You know nothing." Inseong said, "The man I love saw the end of the world and instead of spending our time til the end of the world together and loving each other, I am spending it out here, alone, in the glade because he won't even look at me. While you fuck a man, that you don't even love to help relieve your stress. So yes, I can see exactly how you can relate to this and understand me." Inseong stood up, the wind was going ever harder, whipping around him. He knew if he didn't calm down it would be a fully formed tornado. He looked back at the house, wind around him and Jaeyoon in a spiral, it was making the house seem blurry. Some of them were shouting, trying to get him to calm down. 

He saw someone come out of the house, Seokwoo - it was hard to not see him, he stood so much taller than the rest of the others in the group. Inseong's rage whipping around him in physical manifestations. He wished the wind could scream _I love you_ at the oracle. He wished that it could be fixed, that he could make it work. The wind whipping up into a frenzy, it was becoming a real tornado, and Inseong was unable to control it. 

"Inseong!" It was Youngbin who was approaching, Jaeyoon was safe in the eye of the storm but no one else had that protection and getting closer to him and his wind powers was dangerous. "You need to calm down, you're going to be okay." Inseong couldn't hold his power for too long, collapsing to the ground, wind dying out after he was unconscious. 

He woke up in his bed, alone, he had hoped that Seokwoo, would have stayed, would have seen if he was okay. The way his powers drained him was hard, if he was back home he would be able to hold the tornado for longer, if he was controlling it, he would have been able to hold it longer. He sighed when he saw Youngbin, of all people to be sat in his room, the last person he wanted to talk to was the leader. 

"I'm sorry, Seong, but you and Seokwoo, it has to end. I can't have you losing control of your power, you never really have before." He said softly. "And honestly, I don't think Seokwoo is interested in your relationship anymore." 

"You don't know what you're talking about." 

"I told him he could wait in here, for you to wake up and he didn't." 

"I hate you." 

"I am trying to protect you all." Youngbin sighed sitting down, "And Jaeyoon told me what you said to him. I get that you're upset that there are rules preventing you and Seokwoo, but Jae and I, it's not really important. You shouldn't argue with him about it." 

"Is Sanghyuk okay that you two are fucking?" 

"Sanghyuk doesn't care, Youngkyun doesn't care, Chanhee doesn't care, Taeyang doesn't care, no one cares." Inseong said nothing, turning over in the bed and looking at the wall, there was no point in talking. Youngbin sighed a little, "Inseong, I know it's hard, but maybe this is for the best. I know it hurts but you will have a clearer head if his vision comes true." 

Youngbin was right, he did need to be more focused, he had recently found his mind wandering when they were in meetings discussing the vision of the end of the world. It was weird to have details about how you might die. Seokwoo had seen it all, and it was scary to know what to expect of the end. Inseong didn't really want to talk to anyone about it. It was between him and Seokwoo, they needed to decide what they had to do to fix things, or if they should just break up. 

Inseong did not want to break up, so his only other solution was do what it takes. He was just worried about what Seokwoo's conditions would be. He decided that maybe he should give the other some space. He didn't want to talk and so Inseong wasn't going to go out of his way. He loved him, and that meant that sometimes he had to do things that weren't his favourite choice. 

Inseong and Seokwoo were able to be in the same room as each other. They weren't talking, no, but they were able to exist in the same space - which made planning what to do if the oracles vision came true a lot easier. Everyone just acted like there wasn't a broken heart going on in the room. Inseong tried his best not to look at Seokwoo like his heart was breaking. He knew that really ending like this wasn't the way he wanted this to go. Maybe he could work on Youngbin? Maybe he should talk to him about it, maybe they would be able to come to an agreement. 

Inseong didn't really understand what the use was of planning for the end of the world. If the world was going to end, they had to call the guardians, and this was something that they had all spent their lives preparing for. He had known since he was a child that he would have to call the guardians down if there was an event and he knew how. He knew that their oracle would lead the call for help and one by one they would place their hands on the representative pillars fro their own home-worlds and would ask for the guardian to come help them and save the world. It was just what he had always been prepared for, so it felt weird to do meeting after meeting to discuss it, to remember the order, to talk about the way that it would work and what would happen after. Inseong also had to sit there looking at Seokwoo the whole time, listening to what it was exactly that he was seeing in his visions and what exactly could be done. It was hard for Seokwoo, he never told them if any of them were going to die - although Inseong guessed that meant that Seokwoo could see that they all at least lived long enough to summon the guardians. 

He lay back on his bed, and looked up at the ceiling, he had been thinking about the end of the world and what that meant exactly. He didn't want to die here, although he guessed that no one wanted to die. Inseong especially didn't want to die leaving things the way they were with Seokwoo, it had been months since in the incident with his powers and they talked a little, but nothing serious, they were just friends now and they didn't have any moments where Inseong wondered if the taller was going to lean down and kiss him. Inseong knew it was probably over, he knew that Seokwoo was probably done, that they had fallen out of love - but the end of the world was coming and he was going to try. 

It was clear that they had to talk, and Inseong was sure that they could come to an arrangement that would sort their relationship out. It was hard, to love someone when it went against everything that they had been taught as they were growing up - and Inseong wished that Seokwoo could understand that about him, that he was not being difficult about their relationship, he loved the oracle and it was hard for him to even consider moving away from it. He just had to know if there was a chance for them, he really wanted there to be a chance for them. He got up out of his bed, and decided that today was the day he was going to talk to Seokwoo. He decided his first port of call would be the study, Seokwoo was in the study a lot, he was researching end of the world myths. If oblivion was calling out their names then he wanted to be with the man he loved when they had to answer. 

Inseong didn't say anything when he walked into the study and saw Youngkyun curled up on a window seat looking out of the window, clearly crying. What was he to say? He knew it was probably something to do with Taeyang, it nearly always was. Youngkyun was sensitive and that was something that honestly, Inseong did not want to get involved with right now. He loved them all - even Youngkyun when he was being an asshole, but he just wasn't sure he was in the right place to take on the others heartbreak as well as his own. He wanted to speak to Seokwoo, well he was looking for him, he wasn't sure that their relationship was fixable but he wanted to talk to him about trying to work on it. Maybe he could think about relaxing the rules, if he properly talked to Youngbin about it, maybe he'd even be allowed to kiss him. He wouldn't break the rules - but he wasn't opposed to changing them. 

Although what Youngbin had said echoed in his mind. Seokwoo hadn't cared when he'd over-exerted his power, Seokwoo hadn't checked on him once since, although he had stopped leaving the room every time Inseong entered it, which was a good sign, Inseong thought. Maybe they could sort it out between themselves, and fix his broken heart. He didn't want to be apart any longer than they had to be, and whoever wrote the phrase absence makes the heart grow fonder failed to miss out the bit where your heart was ripped to shreds every waking moment. He just wanted the pain to end, he wanted to be able to be with Seokwoo and fix what had gone wrong between them. He loved him. 

He continued walking through the corridor, wondering if Seokwoo was in the kitchen, although he only found Chanhee, who gave him a small little nod but then scurried away back into his room, mumbling something about an assignment that was due in soon. Inseong just nodded, he was sort of proud that the other was taking Seoul National seriously, he knew that it was hard to get into and he was proud that Chanhee had really stepped up. Although, it was strange for the youngest member of their group to be so quick to run off and get back to work, normally when he was doing an assignment when he came out and then tried to talk to anyone and everyone in order to avoid having to actually do the work he had been assigned. It was weird but really Inseong couldn't fault him for it, maybe the pressures of school were really starting to get to him. 

Inseong sighed, he guessed that the next place to go was to Seokwoo's room, it made him a little nervous, he hadn't been inside the oracle's room since their fight months ago. He knew it was a long time to let someone sit but they had not been able to talk about it because of the whole end of the world thing, but it was time. He knew that now was the right time to talk about everything. 

However, Inseong did not expect what he saw when he got to Seokwoo's room. Inseong stopped after he opened the door and saw them, Taeyang's arms around Seokwoo's neck and they were kissing. Inseong didn't know what to say, what to do. He just simply turned around. "Seong" He heard Seokwoo and he just kept walking, suddenly everything made sense, why Youngkyun had been crying earlier. It made sense why Chanhee had avoided talking to him. He wanted to get out of here. He needed to escape, he could feel his power. He managed to get out to the glade, Seokwoo still shouting after him. "Seong, please." He fell into the grass and lay there, he didn't feel in control of the wind anymore, he didn't feel the tornado he was afraid of casting in the house. He took a slow breath to find he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe, he was going to die because he saw Seokwoo kissing someone else - talk about being dramatic. Someone had arrived and had taken him in their arms, trying to anchor him to the moment. 

"Leave him." It was Youngbin, not Seokwoo who was holding him. "Inseong, you need to get control okay? I promise when you've gotten control it's going to be okay." Youngbin soothed. Inseong couldn't, he couldn't stop his power, all he could feel was air, lack of air. "I said leave him Seokwoo, I think you and Taeyang have done enough damage, don't you?" 

"Youngbin I-" 

"Don't Seokwoo. You knew what you were doing." Inseong felt the other hold him closer, Inseong gasping for air as he turned to hide against the other. Inseong felt the air come back and then he couldn't help but cry. He cried, turning into Youngbin's stomach and crying, crying until there was nothing left to cry. Youngbin just held him, rubbing his back. "I'm sorry Inseong." Youngbin said softly, "I know you love him." 

"I want to go home." Inseong cried, even though there were no tears left. 

"You are home." Youngbin said softly. "You're with your family." 

"I want to go home, please." Inseong stilled, "I hope the world ends and takes us all with it." 

"You're just hurt." Youngbin said gently, trying to keep him calm, "We aren't going to let the world end." Inseong just lay there, until Youngbin picked him up and carried him into his room, where he was laid on his bed. He just wanted to be alone. He just wanted to go home. He just wanted to be anywhere but here. He looked up when Sanghyuk entered, but he didn't say anything. 

"I know it hurts Inseong, when you love someone who doesn't feel the same." Sanghyuk began - cheerful, Inseong thought, he couldn't wait for another story about loving someone who didn't care. "It gets better. I know you don't think it will, but it will." Sanghyuk smiled a little, "You even can be around them without it feeling like someone's ripping out your heart." 

"I really love him Sanghyuk." 

"I know." Sanghyuk sighed, "But it will stop hurting. I promise. If I could get through it, then you can." 

"You loved someone?" 

"Yes. Seong, I still do." Sanghyuk laughed a little. "But he doesn't know and I am okay with that. It took time, but it will be okay. I can talk to Tae and Seokwoo and ask them to keep everything you know to a minimum." 

"Are they allowed?"

"No, Youngbin is mad, but Taeyang doesn't... well you care about the rules and he's always broken them." Sanghyuk sighed again. "Seong, just don't, please don't think about it." 

"I am okay Sanghyuk," He forced a smile, "I just wanna sleep. I've never felt my powers do that before." He said softly, he was a little worried about what it meant, he guessed that it was something to do his emotions. 

"If it helps we could feel the wind whipping around, but it was just not going into you. It was a lot. I was scared you were dying or something." Sanghyuk said with a small smile, "Could you imagine Youngbin having to explain that to the others? Like, oh sorry, he just got so upset he died." 

"Sanghyuk." Inseong whined a little, although there was a genuine smile from him, "Please, and can we not tell anyone else about what happened, because it's so embarrassing." 

"Seong, I mean everyone already knows, you were pretty dramatic." He said with a little laugh. "And Youngbin and Seokwoo argued after." Sanghyuk looked at the groud. "If the end of the world is coming... do we really... the end of the world is coming and you and Seokwoo and Taeyang and I guess Youngkyun are having this drama about who gets to kiss who. We should be spending time with each other and enjoying what we have left." 

"We will call the guardians." 

"And what if they don't come?" Sanghyuk said quietly. "What do we do then? No one in living memory has called them and they responded." 

"Seokwoo can call them." 

"Seokwoo is not infallible." 

"We have to believe." 

"I don't want it to come to that." Sanghyuk sighed, "I always imagined the group of us having long lives and probably growing old bickering and Chanhee still being difficult." 

"They will come when we call them." Inseong said, faking a confidence from somewhere. "But we have time. Seokwoo said we have time. I know, before you say it, we have to be unified, and we will be. I promise you. I will talk to Seokwoo, I will iron this all out. I want to let him be happy." 

"Everyone should be happy." Sanghyuk said, "Even you." 

"I'm sorry Youngbin doesn't love you." Inseong said quietly. 

"It isn't him." Sanghyuk said with a small laugh, "I mean I understand why you think it is but, it's not." He laughed even more, and it was infectious, the way that Inseong could only wish that his happiness could be. Sanghyuk made him love being in this moment, even with his heart breaking. Inseong and Sanghyuk paused when the door opened and Taeyang entered. 

"Can I talk to you Inseong?" Taeyang spoke softly, as if afraid of what Inseong's answer would be. Inseong wanted to say no, he wanted to be mad about it, he wanted to tell Taeyang that he should just leave. That he had nothing to say, but really that wasn't the case. He had to hear him out, they all lived together and they were all having to work together for the rest of their lives and that required everyone to have to be able to push past disagreements. Sanghyuk got up and Taeyang took his place in the chair by Inseong's bed. "I really want to explain." 

"That you're fucking my--" Inseong stopped, he wasn't even sure what he should call Seokwoo at this time. He guessed that it was just something he should avoid referring to. He didn't want to talk about it really, but he knew that they had to do this to get past it. 

"I'm not. We're not. Sex isn't." Taeyang flushed, but he just looked at him and shook his head. "Not yet. Please don't make me say it." 

"I don't want to know." Inseong said, holding his hand up. "Really, Tae, don't tell me about what you two do." 

"Okay. But hyung, I, I didn't mean to." 

"Right." 

"It's just... you broke up, and I didn't mean to. I know you shouldn't get with people your friends dated, really, I know that. But he was spending a lot of time with me, venting and then telling me things and then I don't know what happened but one night we were just talking and hanging out, like we did normally, but this was different and suddenly we were talking about kissing and he told me that he'd never kissed anyone and I couldn't believe it, because honestly, you two seemed really in love and then he kissed me and I lost my head and I kissed him back and then we started just kissing sometimes. I mean we weren't dating and we never say boyfriend or anything. It's nothing," Taeyang paused. "It is something actually." 

Inseong nodded, Taeyang was rambling and he just wanted to tell him it was okay, he just needed to take a breath. "I'm not mad." 

"You seemed upset, when you were lying in the glade not breathing." Taeyang mumbled, Inseong winced a little, he hated being reminded of the fact that he had done it. It was so much more dramatic than he really should have been. He was just caught off guard and his powers had surged. "I just want you to know, I didn't go into this thinking about hurting anyone." 

"I know Tae... but it's not just me." 

"What?" Taeyang said genuinely confused and Inseong tried not to roll his eyes. He didn't understand how Taeyang could be so oblivious. 

"You really don't know that Youngkyun is in love with you? He has been since he was fourteen." Inseong said watching as Taeyang made a small o shape with his mouth. Well he clearly had not known that, but Inseong still felt like Taeyang should be told. "Look, don't talk to him about it, I'm sure he's just hurt seeing you with someone else, but you know him, he'll be fine, he just needs to get used to it." 

"I didn't know, really." Taeyang said quietly. "I didn't think it would be this complicated." Taeyang sighed, "It's really a mess." Inseong agreed a little, he took a small breath, wondering what his friend would say next. "I never intended for anyone to get hurt." 

"I know Tae." Inseong moved to sit up in his bed, he reached out to take the others hand and give it a squeeze. "I understand that you didn't mean to hurt anyone." Taeyang looked sad and Inseong felt bad, he didn't want the other to be upset like this, and he knew deep down that just like when he fell for the oracle that Taeyang had not intended for this, or for someone to get hurt in all of this. "I'm not mad, it's just hard to see him with someone else." He said softly, he wanted to comfort the other and he knew that that was probably something strange, but for them it was normal. They grew up fighting, and then making up with each other, like nothing happened. Fighting over boys seemed really small in the grand scheme of things. "If Seokwoo's vision is true, we have to work together, and things like this will mean nothing in the long run." Inseong said, moving to get up, his chest hurt from the whole not breathing thing, but that was nothing. He smiled kissing Taeyang's forehead. "We're a team first and foremost." 

It wasn't exactly easy, it hurt to see them together, although Seokwoo and Taeyang kept their affectionate displays to a minimum. They came across as just really close friends and maybe they wouldget past their romantic feelings, or maybe they'd be together for the rest of all their lives. All Inseong knew was that the end of the world was coming and he was sure that together they could all take it on as long as they were together.


	2. Sanghyuk

Sanghyuk knew that the end of the world was coming, and he had not really thought about how he was going to die. He was a glass half full kind of guy and that was something that he took into a lot of his life - including his role as someone who would call for the guardians. He was proud to have been chosen, and did not really feel the longing for Locus, a volcanic world, the way he new some of the others longed for where they hailed from. He sat in their third, end of the world meeting this week, which was frustrating as it was only Tuesday night. He took a small sip from his glass as they went over - for the millionth time what would happen when they called on the guardians, the order, everything that they had been planning for since they were old enough to understand, probably even before them. Sanghyuk wondered what the others were thinking, they were all dealing with things under all of this - of course the end of the world thing should be the most important thing. Sanghyuk wondered if Youngkyun had stopped crying when he thought he was alone, their long haired boy from Animo was sensitive and Sanghyuk knew this better than most. He had been the one to sit with Youngkyun when he cried when they were younger - and he still felt that pull now. Although, he knew that Youngkyun wanted to cry by himself, that he wanted to pretend that he wasn't suffering, when really Sanghyuk knew the feeling, he understood the pain that Youngkyun was holding inside him, to love someone who did not care for you that way, and see them in the arms of someone else. He had been that person, apparently Seokwoo was really just that good. Sanghyuk wondered what it was that Seokwoo had, he was really tall - although that in itself was an understatement, most of them were in the tall side. Seokwoo also probably could have been a model if he was not cursed with being an oracle. Sanghyuk wondered if Taeyang was happy, he wondered if Seokwoo would break his heart too and then instead of Inseong not breathing in the glade they would have Taeyang flooding the place. He, however, thought the pair was a pretty good match. Youngbin was not impressed but he had also given up on trying to restrict them. 

Sanghyuk's eyes met Inseong's and he gave the man a soft smile, Inseong just nodded. It hurt, Sanghyuk knew the other did not mean to, he had no idea that he harboured feelings for the man imbued with wind powers but here he was feeling the small pang in his heart looking at the other. Sanghyuk had made a promise to himself that he would not tell Inseong about how he felt, he knew that with everything going on with Taeyang and Seokwoo being together that the other did not need added drama in his life. He just wished that other could feel the same, he just wished that Inseong had looked at him instead of Seokwoo - although he did understand why someone would chose to be with Seokwoo, the oracle, rather than him. Juho caught his eye, he was sat on the other side of Inseong, messing around with a small plant that was on the desk, focusing his powers to have the flower bloom and close to his will. Some of them had more impressive powers from their worlds than others, Inseong's tornado power would be great in a fight, Juho growing a sunflower was slightly less useful. But he guessed that the other's power had some uses, they could use Juho to grow fresh crops that were out of season, although they always tasted a little more metallic than plants usually did - Sanghyuk guessed that it was something to do with the use of magic. Sanghyuk's own powers, from his volcanic homeland could be used in conjunction with someone elses, for example, should a fissure be created in the earth - Sanghyuk could bring lava forth from it. Or he could support a fire power. It was a strange position for him to be in, he was always the supporting role and never the lead actor. Although, he liked that, it was a more relaxed role and he did not have to spend his time desperately trying to think of ways to keep everyone safe. 

After the meeting ended he sat out in the gardens watching Juho as he tended to the plants. "Are you ever going to tell Inseong how you feel?" Juho said softly, looking up from the strawberries he was tending. "I mean, it has been months since Seokwoo broke up with him." 

"No. You know he's still in love with Seokwoo, and I am not just going to be like, oh yeah I like you." Sanghyuk shrugged a little, "I mean, I don't want him to think that I've only been here for him because I was hoping he would end up putting out for me. I honestly am doing it because it's the right thing to do." He said running his hand through his hair. "I love him Juho, it's not like I just think he's cute." 

Juho sighed, looking over his fruit, "it's frustrating that the world is coming to an end and so many of us are being such a mess that they can't even think about what we are going to have to ask of the guardians." Juho looked at Sanghyuk and shrugged, "but do you want the world to end and him not know that you love him?" 

"I know." Sanghyuk sighed, "I want to tell him, really do." 

"I mean if the end of the world is coming then you probably should, but I am also opposed to there being more boy drama in the house." Juho shook his head. "I don't understand how everyone can be a mess. I mean Taeyang knew that Seokwoo and Inseong had been a thing and that it would hurt Inseong, and then you have been in love with him for years and then of course we have hopelessly in love Youngkyun who cries every night." 

"And of course Youngbin is sleeping with Jaeyoon." Sanghyuk said with a small shrug. 

"Well, yes, but it's not very dramatic is it? They just fuck sometimes and the worst that happens is you hear them and come into my room to annoy me." 

"They get loud okay." Sanghyuk said with a shrug. "I mean really Jaeyoon get's loud and you can only hear him." He said with a little look. "Plus you love when I come into your room and let you be my big spoon." Sanghyuk laughed when Juho rolled his eyes. "Next time, if you're really good I might even let you snuggle me all night." Juho threw a strawberry at him and Sanghyuk could not help the laugh that erupted from his mouth. He wanted to be here, in this moment more than anything. He wanted to be with Juho, relaxed like this, just spending time having fun until the end of the world came. He knew that when he went inside he would have to deal with everything again, all the drama with the other boys. Although, at the same time he was sure that everyone was now just pretending that the drama did not exist. 

"But seriously, Sanghyuk - while I don't want drama to increase within our group, I don't want anything to happen and for you to have regrets. I don't think even if the guardians come that people will die. We will die." Juho said gravely. 

"At least if I die you can grow the prettiest flowers for my grave." Sanghyuk said, upbeat despite the fact that they were talking about their potential death, Sanghyuk was determined to look on the bright side, they were going to be okay, and even if some of them weren't they would find a way to honour the others, maybe they would send them back to where they came from. Maybe they would stay here - was this something that he should talk to Youngbin about? He was not even sure if their leader had a plan for that, and it would be a bit morbid to mention it really. 

They were all well aware of the risks but they also knew that they did not have the option to run away. They were going to fight for the Earth, to ensure it would exist in the future and could be spared from the destruction that the end of the world would bring. Youngbin, Inseong, Jaeyoon, himself, Seokwoo, Juho, Taeyang, Youngkyun and Chanhee were not the only teams around the word that could call on the guardians - however, their oracle was quite possibly the most accurate and he saw the vision in advance of any of the other oracles that Youngbin knew about. There could be two main reasons for this, the first being that Seokwoo was closer to the location of the commencement of the vision, so it was going to start in Seoul, the place that they had all learnt to call home. Or because Seokwoo had the most experience and the purest bloodline - which could never be proved and honestly, was the more optimistic and easier reason for the team living in Seoul. If the end started somewhere else then it did not fall on their shoulders to call the guardians down and they did not have to live with the fear that their call would not be answered and they would not be good enough to call the guardians, that the world would end and it would be all their fault for not being good enough. 

Sanghyuk tried not to think about that, it was easier if he just did not. He was sure that if they called the guardians that they would come - because that was what he had to believe, if he doubted it then he was sure that they would sense that, so he chose to believe, and by choosing to believe he felt he increased their chances of success. Plus almost half of their meetings were taken up on the discussion of what to do when the guardians came - which implied that everyone was working on the assumption that they were going to come and they were going to help fix the world around them - which was something that Sanghyuk was glad that they were all on the same page about. 

He and Inseong had been spending more and more time together, since Inseong had found out about Seokwoo and Taeyang - a coupling that had surprised Sanghyuk at first, but then the more he thought about it, the more it made complete sense. They matched in way that was symbiotic, and Sanghyuk wished that he could have, he liked to see how well they navigated the world with each other - even when it came to having to listen to the arguments that they had with Youngbin - which were unfortunately bountiful, especially after Youngbin discovered they were doing more than just kissing in their rooms. Sanghyuk missed the days where no one liked each other and they were all just spending time together, and it wasn't complicated. Although he knew that his crush on Inseong had been there since they were young and he knew that Youngkyun was the same, he'd only ever had eyes for one person so the hurting was something that maybe was not preventable. 

Hanging out in Inseong's room was a little different, they talked about nothing but also about everything, as the months had gone by they had stopped talking about Seokwoo, and started talking about other things, started talking about life, about love and about the future that they envisioned - should the world not end. Although tonight they had discussed what could be done about Youngkyun who was spending an increasing amount of time in the window seat in the study reading over books and ignoring the rest of them - while simultaneously pretending to Taeyang that he was not hurt and did not mind that he was now with Seokwoo. It was not as if Youngkyun was crying every day now, but he worried that their most sensitive member was now just crying in his room and just not telling them about his pain, Inseong had promised Sanghyuk that he would check on Youngkyun, as if he might break through because of their shared heartbreak at the hands of the same couple getting together. 

Sanghyuk was not entirely sure how it happened, but he found himself kissing Inseong - which was something that he had never really imagined doing, well he had imagined doing but not like _actually_ doing it. He let Inseong guide him as the kisses got deeper, Inseong's arms around Sanghyuk's shoulders, pulling them so Inseong was under the smaller man, Sanghyuk between his legs, Inseong's hand had slipped up into his hair and was tugging a little as they kissed. His other hand on Sanghyuk's ass pushing on it slightly to have them press against each other. Sanghyuk was surprised at this move, but he wanted this, he had always wanted this. He had dreamt of being with Inseong like this for a long time, he knew that it wouldn't be the same, he knew that he wanted this, and Inseong wanted this, and there was nothing wrong with them doing this together. 

Inseong moved easily, both of them stripping each other between kisses. Inseong sat up on the bed, Sanghyuk on his knees between Inseong's spread legs with Inseong's hand on the back of his neck as they kissed, making soft sounds against each other's lips. It felt more intimate than Sanghyuk thought would happen between them, he liked this, he loved the feeling of Inseong beneath him, fingers tracing over his body and setting it on fire. He swore he stopped breathing when Inseong pulled away and traced over the tattoo on his collarbone before leaning forward and kissing over it. "Are you clean?" Inseong mumbled. 

"Yes, I haven't slept with anyone since I got tested last." Sanghyuk breathed out slowly, somehow finding it more attractive that even when they're like this, naked and getting hard for each other that Inseong had the foresight to make sure they were safe. "You?"

"Me too." Inseong mumbled, pulling Sanghyuk down for another kiss. "Will you use a condom still please?" Inseong breathed against Sanghyuk's lips. "I trust you, but I just want to be extra sure." Sanghyuk nodded, he was more than willing to wear one, he knew that it was not a trust thing, they had all grown up with each other and that had created a sense of trust between them all that was unbreakable - but Sanghyuk agreed, he actually had never had sex with someone without wearing something and he was kind of glad that the other felt the same way. It made everything easier, and also led to no hurt feelings if someone had a preference not to. Inseong pulled back and moved to fumble in his bedside table's drawer, he pulled out a condom and a small, almost full bottle of lube, Sanghyuk did not question it as he took the bottle and watched Inseong as he moved to lie back down. 

Sanghyuk could not help himself, moving to kiss over the flat expanse of Inseong's stomach, eliciting a small laugh from the other, complaining that he was ticklish and that it was annoying, but his cock had remained hard, so told a very different story. Sanghyuk stroked him gently as he moved to press a soft lubed up finger against the others entrance, gently pressing it in. Inseong made a small gasping sound, hand over his mouth, looking at Sanghyuk as he did so. "Hyuk-" he breathed out as the other moved his finger slowly. Eventually adding in the second, head dipping down and taking Inseong in his mouth as he fingered him. Inseong made a soft sound, he was tight and he guessed that it had been a while. He wanted the other to feel good, he pressed a third finger into the other, Inseong shifted slightly, Sanghyuk pulled off the others cock and looked at him. "Is it okay Inseong?" He said quietly. 

"Yes." He breathed out, "It's okay, please." Sanghyuk nodded, one of Inseong's hands moved down to help guide his hand to get a better angle. Sanghyuk allowed him to guide him, smiling a little when he heard the others sounds change. He bit his lip watching Inseong underneath him as his fingers moved into him. "Hyukkie, there is so good." Inseong breathed out, Sanghyuk made sure to keep going brushing against that point, wanting to have the other writhing for him. It did not take long before Inseong was asking Sanghyuk to go into him. He wanted to give him what he wanted, moving to roll the condom on, the whole time Inseong was watching him, sitting back up so he could be the one to stroke Sanghyuk, coating his cock. 

Sanghyuk lay the other back as he pushed into him, kissing him slowly as he kept going. He paused when he was fully inside the taller man. Inseong was quiet, not looking at Sanghyuk, who pressed a soft kiss to Inseong's cheek. "Is it okay? Do you want me to stop?" he could feel the other tight around him, maybe the stretch was too much. 

"Just getting used to it." He breathed out, experimentally rolling his own hips, making a small sound. "Yeah, move, Hyukkie." He said with a small whine. Sanghyuk moved in him, keeping his pace slow and steady, building up as they kissed and shared each other - sure this was not as romantic as Sanghyuk hoped, but he felt like it was still making love rather than just fucking for the sake of it. Inseong came first, leading to Sanghyuk pulling out when the older began whining about it being frustrating and irritating, Sanghyuk smiled as he was lazily finished off, releasing into the condom. 

"Are you gonna stay the night?" Inseong asked quietly, lying against Sanghyuk's chest, head already resting against his heartbeat. Inseong was probably used to being the little spoon, having been the smaller partner when he was with the oracle, but Sanghyuk was smaller than Inseong, not that he minded being the one that the other lay his head on. He wanted the other to lie on him like this more often. He wanted this to be something that happened a lot, and he prayed to every god known that Inseong wouldn't wake up and regret what happened between them both. It wasn't as if they weren't both adults, but he guessed that Inseong was saving himself for the one, and Sanghyuk was not naive enough to think that the other man was in love with him. He knew that really their union had been out of convenience, Sanghyuk was there, and he was more than willing to be that for the other, even without the shared feelings. He knew it was not the brightest move on his part but he did not have the strength to say no to Inseong, and when Inseong had kissed him he had not had a plan for what to do. 

"I'll stay if you want me to." Sanghyuk said quietly, although he moved to get up, taking off the condom and tying it up throwing it in the bin and then getting back in the bed. "Are you okay?" Sanghyuk asked softly, "it seemed a bit uncomfortable for you." 

"It was my first time." Inseong said with a shrug and Sanghyuk went cold. He did not have a problem with Inseong being a virgin, although he had assumed that he and Seokwoo were secretly sleeping together despite Inseong's protestations against it. The problem was, that Sanghyuk wanted Inseong to have more for his first time. He wanted him to have done it with someone he loved and someone who loved him, he wanted it to be special. Sanghyuk's own first had been either Jaeyoon or Youngbin depending on what counted, Jaeyoon sucked him off when they were younger but Youngbin had been the first time he went all the way - and most of him wished that both of those times he could have given to Inseong. Inseong's eyes were on hims staring at him, taking it all in. "Oh you have a problem with that?"

"Not what you think." 

"Oh it's not what I think? Would you have fucked me if I'd told you?" Inseong said sitting up in the bed and looking at him. "Because really it means nothing, everyone else had their first time, why can't I have mine?" 

"It's not that. I just wanted you to have yours with someone special." 

"Oh like you did, we all knew you bent over for Youngbin when he needed it, or he bent over for you, does it matter?" 

"Inseong." Sanghyuk had gotten out of the bed now, he was too frustrated to deal with this, too annoyed, he just wanted the other to stop it, he didn't want to tell him the truth. He turned back to look at him and stared. "I wanted you to do it with someone you loved because you deserve it. I have always wished my first times were you because I love you." 

"You what?" 

"I love you Kim Inseong, you're supposed to be really smart but you can't see that?!" 

"You love me?" Inseong said, standing up, standing taller than Sanghyuk, not that Sanghyuk felt threatened by him. He just did not want this to end like this, this was even worse than Inseong's first time being meaningless, he now had just had his first time and then a man basically shouted that he loved him. 

"I can't help but love you." Sanghyuk said looking at Inseong. 

"It's been me all this time?" 

"Yes. Even when you were with him." Sanghyuk hated this, he knew this changed everything. 

"You let me sleep with you, knowing you loved me and knowing I-" 

"I know, you don't have to say it. But you wanted _me_, for once, not him, and I can't help myself." Sanghyuk sighed looking at Inseong, who looked a combination of angry, hurt and confused. "I didn't know what to do and I just went with it." 

"I never wanted to use you." Inseong said looking at him. "I thought we were on the same page." 

"We are." 

"No, we're not, you're in love with me. I mean what even is this? I can't get Seokwoo to look at me but you're in love with me." 

"It always comes down to him." Sanghyuk shook his head. "Well he loves Taeyang." 

"And I love him!" 

"Did you think of him when I was fucking you?" Sanghyuk was angry, it was out of character but why did Inseong only ever see Seokwoo, it was frustrating for him. 

"Of course not." Inseong said defensively, "How could I? I never even kissed him and you were there, and you were divine and all I could feel was you." Inseong was angry still, but Sanghyuk did not care, moving closer and bridging the gap between them, kissing Inseong hard, Inseong's arms wrapping around his shoulders as the taller man jumped slightly, legs wrapping around Sanghyuk's hips, kissing him back with the same desperation, the same need for each other. He did not know if he would be able to breath if his lips weren't on Inseong's, he had the other man pushed up against a wall. 

Inseong's head had tipped back and he'd made a small breathy sound at the action. Sanghyuk kissed at his neck, leaving bites, not caring if he marked the man from Caeli, he wanted to mark him. He wanted everyone to know that Inseong had someone treating him good and making him moan. He was glad they hadn't gotten fully dressed so he had easy access to the others collarbones, biting them, licking over them, worshipping the others body. He wanted Inseong to feel how much he was cared for, but at the same time it was hard to not pull back and rip everything off - and by everything he meant their underwear - and just got at Inseong until they were both spent. He moved back up to kiss Inseong putting him down so they could both strip off their underwear, before he picked him back up against the wall, kissing him hard. He pressed close, he didn't even stop to think, hips rolling up against the others, both of them gasping into each others mouths. Sanghyuk's hands on Inseong's thighs, running up them, biting down on the taller man's lips. Inseong's hand was tugging on the others hair, which only egged Sanghyuk on. 

Sanghyuk was rolling his hips harder against the other, both of them were hard and the friction was driving Sanghyuk a little crazy. He knew the man with him was into him - and it might not be love but they had a mutual attraction and he was not about to give that up. He mouthed at Inseong's neck as the other rolled his hips, arms wrapping around Sanghyuk's shoulders. "Hyuk." Inseong breathed out. Sanghyuk paused, Inseong's hand gripping his shoulder squeezed a little tighter. "Condom." He mumbled, Sanghyuk nodded, kissing Inseong and pulling back, letting the other down, the man from Caeli stayed watching as Sanghyuk grabbed a condom and rolled it on, moving the lube so it was by where they were. Sanghyuk letting Inseong take it and stroke him to get him coated enough. Sanghyuk picked the other back up, pressing him hard against the wall as he pushed in slowly. He knew the other was stretched from earlier, and maybe he should have used his fingers but he wanted Inseong to not be able to think of anyone but him. He wanted to be selfish one time. He wanted to be the only thing on his mind. 

Inseong made a few soft sounds, whining a little about it. Sanghyuk did not want to hurt him, he set the pace, giving him enough chance to breathe and move, but also hard enough to elicit some moans from Inseong. Inseong's legs were wrapped tightly around him, Inseong holding onto him as if he needed it most in the world. Sanghyuk kept going, loving the sounds that Inseong was making, loving to hear him with him like this. He wanted him, craved him, needed to get his fill of the other man. He kept going moving into him, not taking time to tease the other, biting Inseong's shoulder as he did so, having Inseong cry out louder. 

Sanghyuk was self aware enough to know that they were being loud, but he did not care enough to try to calm it down. He, hmself getting louder as he kept moving into Inseong harder. It was hard on his hips and thighs to fuck up into the other as he was also taking most of the others weight on his hips. He kept his hands on the other, moving to pull out of Inseong, before pushing him over the desk and fucking him. Inseong, rested on his head on the table as he got louder, neither of them caring about how much noise they made. Sanghyuk kept going, Inseong's moans getting caught as he was pushed harder into the table. Sanghyuk knew that his grip would leave marks on Inseong's hips but he wanted it to, he wanted the other to be painted by him. Inseong was melodious beneath him, Sanghyuk unable to hold back, finished into the condom, still giving the moving into the taller man until he heard Inseong finish. He lent to kiss the back of the others shoulder blade. He pulled out, tied off the condom and threw it in the bin before going to pick up Inseong and carry him back to the bed. Inseong did not speak, he just settled in the bed and watched Sanghyuk. 

Sanghyuk wrapped his arms around Inseong and Inseong made a small but content sound. "We can talk about this in the morning." Inseong mumbled, eyes unable to stay open as he nuzzled into Sanghyuk's shoulder. Sanghyuk wondered what was going on inside the others mind. He'd heard the other practically screaming his name. He guessed he could be happy with that. 

However, when Sanghyuk awoke the next morning he was alone. Inseong had left him a little note on the side: 

_Sorry to skip out. I cooked breakfast for everyone but I left something special for you. I know I said we'd talk in the morning but I have to go in Seoul with Chanhee, we will talk when I get back. KIS._

Sanghyuk scrunched up his nose looking at the end of the letter, Inseong signing off with his initials felt a little formal considering they had seen each other naked. He sighed going out into the kitchen and smiling when he saw his favourite food in the fridge with a label with his name on. He smiled taking it out, turning to see Youngbin, who gave him a small smile. "Surprised to see either of you up this morning." Youngbin teased a little. 

"Hyung." Sanghyuk whined a little, "Please, you and Jaeyoon are worse." 

"Are we?" Youngbin laughed a little. "I mean you two gave us a run for our money." 

"Hyung! Please." Sanghyuk whined a little, "We were no where near as bad as you, especially the night after you heard about the end of the world." 

"I was stressed." Youngbin said with a smile, "but I think Juho might complain about it." Sanghyuk flushed a little, remembering that he had held Inseong against the wall that was connected to Juho's room. They were all close, and hearing each other do things like that was common - they all knew they did things and they all sort of got on with it. It was normal, well to them it normal. Sanghyuk decided to go out to the garden to talk to Juho, he was feeling all kinds of frustrated and confused about the situation with Inseong. He wasn't sure what he could do, he wanted to be with the other, but he was confused, was it just sex - because now, after the fact, he was not sure that it was something he could just do. He was pretty sure that when it came to Inseong he had to do more, he could not turn off his love.

"While I'm glad that you and Inseong are... something. I would appreciate it, if you two had sex against the other wall... I mean you're both, it was just lucky my headphones are noise cancelling." Juho threw a raspberry at Sanghyuk, "Hey, Sang, what's up?" 

"Nothing." Sanghyuk said quietly, although he knew that he couldn't hide it from him. He took a slow breath thinking about it. "It was just sex and then we argued and then... more sex." Sanghyuk did not feel embarrassed to tell Juho, they were all close and they were each others support and closest friends. 

"What was the fight about?" Juho looked up from the plants. "You aren't the kind to start fighting over nothing." Juho wanted to know, and Sanghyuk wanted to tell him, but he did not want to cry about this. He felt so stupid. 

"He... he knows how I feel." Sanghyuk said with a sigh, "I mean, he felt like he was using me the first time we had sex - because I love him. But he wasn't, he didn't know I loved him at this point - and I knew, I knew when we had sex that it wasn't love, I knew he didn't love me. Then it got confusing when he was arguing and I don't know Juho, I hate men." 

"Mhm, men will just hurt you, you know what won't hurt you? Blueberries." 

"Yes, that's great Juho, I'll just confess my love to blueberries, marry them and have cute little blue babies." 

"Please don't do anything inappropriate with my blueberries, thank you." Juho rolled his eyes at Sanghyuk. "And you should just talk to him, like just be honest with him." Sanghyuk gave him a little nod. 

"I know, but what if he doesn't feel the same." 

"Then you can come love my blueberries." Juho teased a little. "Sanghyuk, you need to lay it all out with Inseong - there is no point in you both thinking different things and then hurting each other." Sanghyuk nodded a little, Juho was rather insightful, especially considering he spent most of his time out in the garden with the berries. Juho's words stuck with Sanghyuk all day, he was right, he had to sort this out with Inseong before anything got any further and more feelings got hurt. 

Sanghyuk was sat at his desk as he drew, he loved to draw - and if he was a human would have been a tattoo artist. Well he liked to think he would have been - he'd been out into the human world, they all had, some of them had worked, some of them went to school and Sanghyuk had worked and gotten tattoos, he loved them and treasured the art style. He wanted to do an apprenticeship but he was still working on getting Youngbin to agree to that and then Seokwoo saw the end of the world and that sort of threw a spanner in the works entirely. No point trying to get trained in something when you did not have future to be trained for, but that did not stop Sanghyuk adding to his portfolio. 

Inseong came in and sat down on the bed. "Hyukkie, I want to talk to you." Inseong said watching him. "It's been on my mind all day. Thinking about what everything means and how to go about everything." Sanghyuk nodded and turned the chair so he could face the man. "I was.... look I don't love you." Sanghyuk's heart cracked a little, "I mean to say, I don't love right now, but I think... I think I could." 

"Right." Sanghyuk said, "Growing to love me, not an overly romantic notion, is it?" 

"Hyuk, what I'm saying is, I _want_ to try with you. I want to fall in love again and I want it to be you. I like you. Like I like you, you're cute and you're funny and last night was..." a blushed grazed his cheeks and Sanghyuk just wanted to kiss over it. He wanted to see it more often, and he just might based on what Inseong was saying. "I want to do the whole dating and everything. I want to be with you, and there isn't time to sit around and guess on this. I want to do this, because if the world really will end I want to spend it doing what I want, being with who I want and finding love." Inseong said softly. "I want to be in your arms when it all comes down." 

"But Seokwoo." 

"Seokwoo and I broke up months ago and he is very happy with Taeyang now, and I have accepted that. I want my chance to be happy too Sanghyuk, I really want that with you." He breathed out slowly. "I'm not promising that we will be in love and get married and adopt fifty cats but I am saying that I want to take a chance on you, a chance on us." Inseong smiled a little, "Plus the sex was good, it annoys me that I was missing out on that for so long." 

"I worried you'd be a little sore." Sanghyuk said with a little laugh, "I worried that you would be upset with me about it." 

Inseong shook his head. "Nope, I mean it was a weird feeling, but I have my own fingers and maybe a stress relief aid." He said moving to get up and walk over to Sanghyuk leaning down to press a soft kiss to the smaller's lips. "So please, Lee Sanghyuk, be my boyfriend?" 

"Inseong, of course I will." Sanghyuk said with a little laugh as they kissed again. Inseong looked happy, beyond happy even, as he went out to go cook for everyone. Sanghyuk wondered if the other had been thinking about him since they started to get close. He wondered if they would have gotten together eventually without the time pressure of the end of the world and he was interested to see how it would go, trying to be in a relationship with the other. He wanted to keep it on the down low for a bit, wanted to see how it played out without everyone in the group adding in their opinions - although from what Juho said last night he was not sure how likely it was that they would be able to keep anything a secret. 

Things about them made all the sense in the world, Inseong was the realism, to Sanghyuk's hyper optimism. They were a balance and that was something that Sanghyuk could appreciate even if he was not on the outside looking in. Like with all the pairs in the house they retained their owns rooms and did not spend every night in the same bed, although Inseong liked to lie next to Sanghyuk claiming that he needed the others warmth to be able to sleep - something Sanghyuk doubted although he did run a little hotter than average because of the world he came from. Sanghyuk imagined Chanhee was the same from his fire based world - but he did not want Inseong to go and get his warmth from the youngest. 

Dating was something a little different for both of them. Inseong had dated someone who had to be a secret and Sanghyuk had never dated but they learnt together about how it should all work, about how they fit together and Sanghyuk was pretty sure that Inseong was falling in love with him too. Something he almost could not believe was really happening to him. 

Sanghyuk was shaken awake one night, it was Taeyang, he looked at him and squinted a little. "Tae... what are you doing in my room? What time is it?" He moved slightly, trying not to wake Inseong who was some how still curled into him sleeping. He couldn't believe the other had slept through Taeyang storming in. He was slowly getting his bearings and he could see Taeyang was shaking, in a shirt that could only belong to Seokwoo. This was not exactly how he wanted to be woken up, especially when he had pretty much had to beg Inseong to come to bed that night instead of staying awake to try to calculate when the end of the world was coming. 

"I need Inseong, and I went to his room and he wasn't there and I know you two are close and I thought he might be here. I need him." Taeyang looked like he was going to cry and Sanghyuk gently nudged Inseong awake, he looked at Taeyang and Taeyang just began speaking, "Seong, he's having a vision and I don't know what to do, please, please help me." Taeyang looked like he was going to cry if Inseong didn't get up and come help him - even though part of Sanghyuk wanted Inseong to tell him that he was on his own. He just let him, get up, Inseong smiled and moved to press a kiss to Sanghyuk's lips. 

"I've got to go help Tae, you can come if you want." Sanghyuk knew Inseong was trying to make him feel more comfortable. But nothing was going to make him feel comfortable with this, he did not really enjoy the idea of Inseong going to help his ex - but at the same time they were all friends and he didn't want one of his friends to suffer. 

"It's okay Seong, Seokwoo wouldn't want to come out of a vision and have us all there, you know that. Go help Taeyang, I'll be here when you come back." he said with a little smile as Inseong kissed him again. 

"Don't fall asleep." Inseong teased, pulling on one of Sanghyuk's jumpers and following Taeyang. Sanghyuk lay on his back and looked up at the ceiling, trying his best not to fall asleep while he was waiting, but he was woken when the other got back into the bed. Sanghyuk wrapped an arm around the other lazily. "You fell asleep." Inseong pouted a little, but pulled Sanghyuk in for a gentle kiss. 

"Was everything okay Seong?" Sanghyuk said, trying his best to shake the sleep from his voice, but he couldn't. 

"Not really Sanghyuk, but if I tell you, you can't tell anyone." Inseong mumbled a little as he ran his hands through the mans permed hair. "It's not looking good. He saw deaths." 

"Whose?" 

"He wouldn't tell anyone, but he might tell Taeyang, he doesn't like to share bad visions." 

"I just... I need to know who he saw." Sanghyuk said, already trying to come up with a plan to save as many of them as possible. He couldn't bear to lose any of them - Seokwoo might be the man that the person he loved had been with previously but they loved him. "I won't let any of you die." 

"I don't want to know Sanghyuk." Inseong said quietly, snuggling into Sanghyuk, hand tracing over his chest. "What if he sees you dying? I don't want to think about losing you, knowing it's coming would be worse than it just happening. Maybe that's selfish, but I don't want to live with a timer over our heads." 

"I know, but I wouldn't let either of us die." Sanghyuk said softly, "or any of the others, we can't. We're a team and we would not be complete without one of us." 

"If we call the guardians we won't be needed anymore." Inseong said softly. He shifted to press a soft kiss to Sanghyuk's lips, "Seokwoo seems happy with Taeyang." Inseong moved to fix the smaller mans hair, "Youngbin was right when he told me we weren't meant to be together. I was meant to be with someone more.... volcanic." Inseong said with a little laugh. Sanhyuk shook his head, he knew the other was teasing him, but it really made him feel excited, like the other was really falling in love with him, like they would feel the same and then it would all feel like everything was falling completely into place - well bar the whole end of the world thing, but Sanghyuk was pretty confident that they could get the guardians to come down and fix that one. 

The next few meetings about the end of world were real depressing, Seokwoo's vision had told him that the guardians would come but still two of them would die - although irritatingly Seokwoo would not tell them which two it was that were going to die. Sanghyuk debated kidnapping Taeyang and holding him for ransom - he wanted to know who it was going to be, he wanted to protect them. He knew Youngbin was also desperate to know too, their leader was probably thinking the same as Sanghyuk looking for a way to save everyone. 

One night Inseong came into Sanghyuk's room, Sanghyuk looked up at the man he was glad to call his boyfriend. Inseong came in and sat on the bed, "Hyukkie, I want to talk to you for a second." Inseong said, he looked sad - Sanghyuk was suddenly trying to run through what this could be about, as far as he knew everything was good. Inseong moved to take Sanghyuk's hand and they sat together on his bed. Inseong looked like he was trying to build up to something but was almost too afraid to use his words. "Sanghyuk." He breathed out slowly, hand cupping the others cheek and giving him a smile. "I love you." He said quietly.

"I love you too Inseong, you're starting to scare me." Sanghyuk watched the other, he was thinking and it was not going to be a conversation that would end well for both of them, he could tell it. The fear of what the other actually came to say overtaking the euphoria of hearing Inseong finally saying he loved him. "Please, just say what you came here to say, I'm scared." 

Inseong nodded, "I am too, if I say this, if we think this, then it could change everything." Inseong said softly, Sanghyuk just watched him, he did not know what he other was keeping inside and that meant he did not know what to say to make it all better, to make it all go away. He just wanted to make it go away. 

"How bad is it?" 

"I think I'm who Seokwoo saw dying." Inseong said slowly, every word more painful than the last. No, this could not be happening. Sanghyuk could not accept this, he was finally with the man he loved and now the fates were going to take that away from him. That was not fair. It couldn't be true. 

"Why? Seokwoo won't say." 

"I don't need him to." Inseong said slowly. "You see, when he had the first vision he cried, and he held me." Sanghyuk squeezed the others hand at that, not just because he did not want to hear about what he did with his ex but because he knew where this was going. "He told me, ah, he told me not to leave him." Inseong said quietly. "I mean, it all makes sense now, the crying, him pushing our relationship so hard - he asked me to kiss him because we wouldn't have a chance and I should have known that my time was going to be up-" 

"You're not going to die Inseong. I am not going to let you." 

"It's okay Sanghyuk, I have had a good life." 

"Please Inseong." 

"If it's me, if it means we can save the world then I will accept my fate." Inseong said giving Sanghyuk a smile. "I got to be love an amazing man and be loved in return, and if I can save my friends then I will accept anything." 

"No you can't die." Sanghyuk said softly, "Not when I need you." 

"You don't." Inseong said giving Sanghyuk's hand a soft squeeze, "not as much as the world needs us, it would be selfish to put myself above the world and we always knew that this could be our end, so technically this is what my whole life has been preparing me for." Inseong said softly. 

"But who is the other, if one is you?" 

"If you say you want it to be you Sanghyuk, I am going to turn this room into a tornado." Inseong shook his head. "I am not letting you sacrifice yourself." He moved to give Sanghyuk a slow kiss. "I want you with me. _with me_, not thinking about anything like us dying, or that. I want you and me to have the best time, especially if it is our last days." Inseong gave him a small smile. 

"I don't want to be without you." 

"Sanghyuk, please." Inseong shook his head, "don't think like that, don't imagine our end. Please." Inseong was trying to distract him, giving the others hand a few soft squeezed. "I want you to think of how much fun we can have until we have to call the guardians. I mean that will be kind of cool - but also we have to be professional. I want to feel Caeli." Inseong said, "I mean I know its for a bad reason but don't you want to feel Locus?" 

"I must actually be the only person here who has never wanted to go home." Sanghyuk laughed a little. "I like Earth, Locus doesn't feel like home to me." 

"I guess that makes sense." Inseong said with a smile, "We never had someone from Locus around when we were growing up so you missed out on your history and culture." 

"And I grew up here, we all did. I love it here and I love humans. We have to save Earth Inseong." 

"I know, I know we do, you're really amazing with how much you love these people." Inseong smiled, "it's one of my favourite things about you, how much you care about others. You always put all of us before yourself but Sanghyuk, I want you to put yourself first when the end of the world comes." 

"You sound certain that it's going to be us who have to call." Sanghyuk said softly, he knew that Inseong had been researching through everything to pinpoint the date and location. "Please tell me if you worked anything out?" Sanghyuk said softly. 

"It's going to be Seoul." Inseong said softly, "I worked it out and Youngbin is going to tell everyone tomorrow - and we are going to make a plan. Me, him and Taeyang are the ones working it all out." He gave Sanghyuk a small smile. "See you've gotten everything you wanted, we're all getting along, even if he's in love with Seokwoo." 

"Well you are in love with me." He said with a little laugh. Inseong laughed too, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "So it's going to be here." 

"Yes the five other Asian leaders are coming and they will discuss the best action for us to take, so you just have to wait for that." Inseong said softly. "I love you, please trust our leaders." 

Sanghyuk nodded although he did not want to just sit around waiting. He decided that he had to talk to Seokwoo, he had to know as much as he could about the situation and find out exactly what the other had seen in his visions and work out who was going to die and how he could fix everything. All he wanted was to make sure that everyone was safe, even if it was at the expense of himself. With Inseong and Taeyang taking a leading role within the preparations it left him plenty of time on his own to talk to Seokwoo and discern everything about the vision and what it predicted. He took the chance when he saw that Seokwoo was alone in his room, going in and shutting the door behind him. "Hey, Seokwoo, can I speak to you?" 

Seokwoo raised a brow at Sanghyuk, "You know I don't want to talk about what I saw in the vision." 

"You said two of us die, don't you think we deserve to know if we're about to die." Sanghyuk said, Seokwoo just raised a brow at him. 

"Ask me who you really want to know about" Seokwoo said with a soft sigh, "I mean Taeyang can't get me to tell him and he's been curled up in his room sulking about it most nights since. You aren't worried about yourself." 

"No. I'm worried about everyone. I love Inseong - you know that." 

Seokwoo smiled a little, "You're a better fit for him than I was. He seems happy to be with you, and you can give him what he needs and deserves." Seokwoo said with a sad smile, "No matter what, I can't tell you who is going to die, it might not come true, you know my visions change and I love everyone too much to have them share the burden of knowing what could possibly happen to the others. How much worse would it be if you knew someone could die, and then you couldn't stop them. I can't let any of you live with that - and Tae doesn't understand it either, but please, Sanghyuk, try to understand that if I thought that it would help you I would tell you all. I have already felt their deaths, I don't want to see it again." 

Sanghyuk nodded, "Okay, I think I understand what you're saying, but if you-" 

"You understand but you still want me to tell you?" Seokwoo shook his head. "You don't get it, I'm not going to tell you." 

"Okay, you wont tell me." Sanghyuk sighed, "but if it is him, you know I would do my best to save him." 

"I know Hyuk." Seokwoo said with a soft smile, "he's lucky to have you, and if it was him I saw then I am sure you mean every word you say." Sanghyuk was not entirely sure if this was a good conversation or not. He did not want to see any of them die, especially Inseong and Seokwoo was not going to give him any more information which was frustrating but he knew the tall man could be stubborn to a fault and he was not going to tell anyone if he decided that he did not want to. So Sanghyuk guessed that he was just going to have to wait for the fates to reveal themselves and hope for the best. 

It was a strange sort of buzz, they had decided to continue letting the others go out and about on their daily lives, some of the younger ones in college, some of the older ones working, there was no point halting life because of the potential end of the world. Sanghyuk was out at a tattoo parlour, talking to one of his favourite artists and trying to decide what he should do next and if he was looking for an apprentice when he could sense that something was wrong. He walked outside and looked up at the sky to see something falling, it was falling and there was nothing anyone could do about it. He knew what this was, this was the end of the world. He began running, he had to get back to the glade, he had to call the guardians.


End file.
